What does one do when he is sitting in a foreign airport at 5 a.m. with nothing to do? Blog of course.

And how canone avoid blogging on the latest story from Don Perata, the Senate Democrat Leader, coming out of Sacramento? He has thrown the high, hanging fast ball to the Legislative Republicans. Now let’s see if they can hit it out of the park.

Apparently, yesterday, Senator Perata announced that he would hold up the entire legislative process, keep the legislators in session, until taxes were raised, basically saying that until 8 legislative Republicans (6 in the Assembly and two in the Senate) voted to raise taxes, he would not let the entire state legislature adjourn. This, in an election year. Oh please, Senator Perata, don’t do that to us, don’t throw us "wascawy" Republicans" into that briar patch. Please Senator Br’er Fox, we couldn’t take the pressure. We will feel unbelievably bad about sitting in Sacramento while story after story is written about how only Republicans are standing between the taxpayer and higher taxes in California. Of course, we promise, promise, promise never to mention… Read More

You have to love the mindset of liberal Democrats like Don Perata, the outgoing State Senate President Pro-Tem. For years and years, they (Democrats) have overseen a huge expansion of the size and scope of state government spending, without regard for the inevitable result — that eventually the proverbial chickens would come home to roost and we would be left where we are right now — with current state spending vastly exceeding anticipated tax revenues. This situation that we are in, which is mostly the doing of Perata and his liberal Democrat colleagues (since it takes a 2/3 vote to pass a budget, Republicans to share some "partial credit" for our situation), is a horrible one. But it should be crystal clear that there is only one responsible course of action to an overspending problem, and that is to cut spending back to levels that the state can afford. Of course, being liberals, Perata and company can’t understand why we should simply saddle Californian’s with higher taxes so that we can "increase state revenue" to match our overspending. It must be so easy to be a liberal. After… Read More

The Democrat secret plan to solve the budget crisis has finally been revealed.

Yesterday, Senate Democrat Leader Don Perata spoke plainly when he was asked how they proposed to to make up the deficit when he said,"Raise taxes. That clear enough? Raise taxes." What a shocker….. the Democrats want to raise our taxes – I just can’t believe it.

Senator Perata also promised to hold us here all summer apparently until the Republican resolve not to raise taxesis broken. And I’m sure he means it. Remember our Senatesleep-over lastyear? (no worries – – we eventually were set free).

If last year’s Democrat rage at the Senate Republicans refusing to vote for a budgetuntil spending was reduced by just… Read More

Deep down everyone involved in politics knows that “campaign reform” has been a failure. More and More money comes in, but all these laws make it harder to find who is really giving to whom. At the state level, you can go to the Secretary of State Website and check out donors at the state level to the real big campaigns.

Local campaigns are a completely different story. It is hard to know about campaign donations without going to City Hall. Hard except in Pasadena , where The Foothill Cities Blog that covers the Foothill Cities in LA County. (Hence the clever name) has taken on campaign finance at the local level. In Pasadena the most prominent of the cities it covers … Read More

Having been rolled by the Governor for the past five years (a little less rolled in 2007 than in years past) the GOP minority in the State SenateandAssembly must now, finally, draw a line in the sand on State spending, which has exploded under this Governor and with a few Republican votes every year.

At risk here are losing the arguments on two key principles, the premise that we have a spending problem rather than a revenue problem, the historical fact that tax increases do not now, nor ever have, increased tax revenues.

There is also the issue that nobody in elected office, nor any candidate wants to touch – education spending. Somebody explain to me why a 100% run up in education spending over 10 years with less than 15% change in enrollment can’t be reduced in a fiscal crisis? Are there no intellectuals out there to make the argument.

This is a seminal time for the GOP. A depressed nationwide base looks at a feckless Congress, a lame duck President and a Governor who has place our State at great risk while flying the GOP flag. Its not a good situation, and taking a stand on the issue of taxes would be a great help.… Read More

For the past few months I’ve been worried that the Democrats would wake up. They didn’t. Now that their Presidential nomination will continue to be up in the air for months I’m ready to thank them for giving Republicans a chance to keep the White House for four more years. It also means a chance at another Supreme Court Justice.

This should be a bad year for a Republican to be at the top of the ticket. Republicans did a smart thing by nominating the best candidate in the field to be able to win in November. Senator McCain brings independent voters to the table and should be able to hold the Republican base with a little work.

As for the Democrats they needed to nominate anyone but Senator Clinton or Senator Obama. They didn’t do that.

I believe that if Senator John Edwards was the nominee of the Democratic Party he would get 53% of the vote or greater and would walk into the White House. He would also have a good chance of putting North Carolina in his column.

Governor Bill Richardson would have been the darling of the media. They would have praised him to high heaven in editorials all over the country and he… Read More

It’s a gorgeous day in Placer County; not a cloud in the sky and a high of about 70 degrees. Oh, and Tom McClintock is going to be our next congressman. On this beautiful California morning, Senator McClintock was joined by several local elected officials to officially announce his candidacy for the 4th congressional district. At a press conference on the steps of the historic Placer County Court House in Auburn, Senator Sam Aanasted kicked off the announcement with his endorsement of his senate seatmate, who has “instructed, educated and cajoled Republicans into acting like Republicans.”

Also publicly declaring their support for McClintock’s campaign were Assemblymen Rick Keene and Ted Gaines, Nevada County Supervisors Sue Horne, Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue and Auburn City Councilman Kevin Hanley. The honor of actually introducing McClintock was left to former 4th CD candidate Eric Egland, who joked that he was “proud to say he was in fact a former candidate for the seat” now that McClintock has entered the race. Egland then stated that, “While I’m a major in the military, in the world of conservative leadership, Tom McClintock is a… Read More

Just in from team Anderson. The phones and emails are abuzz in San Diego….

Anderson to Make Major Announcement Regarding 52nd Congressional District Race

San Diego–Tomorrow, March 5, 2008, Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) will hold a press conference making a major announcement regarding the 52nd Congressional District campaign.

The 77th Assembly District, represented by Assemblyman Anderson is within the 52nd Congressional District. The incumbent Congressman Duncan Hunter is not running for re-election

WHO: Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) and special guest

WHAT:Press Conference making major announcement regarding the 52nd Congressional District campaign

WHEN:Wednesday ~ March 5, 2008 ~ 11:00 AM

WHERE: The Brigantine Restaurant, 9350 Fuerte Drive, La Mesa… Read More